Subject:

English II

Grade:

10th

Time:

45 minutes

Unit:

Prewriting opinion in response to a news article

Resources:

• Three different current events news articles. The articles should be able to invoke a certain level of controversy.
• Enough copies of the articles for all students.
• Prewriting worksheets that allow students to write the title, author and source of the article, five questions, draw a tree diagram, and write a single opinion sentence
• Projector to illustrate a sample prewriting worksheet (using a different news article).

Educational Objective:

• The student will be able to identify and read a current events news article.
• The student will be able to write five questions about the topic of the news article.
• The student will be able to create a tree diagram using keywords relating to one of the questions.
• The student will be able to write an opinion about the topic as a thesis statement.

TEKS Addressed:

• 110.43 (b) (20) (B) deconstruct media to get the main idea of the message's content
• 110.43 (b) (2) (A) use prewriting strategies to generate ideas, develop voice, and plan

Materials Needed:

• A current events news article.
• Prewriting worksheet.
• Pen/pencil.

Introduction:

Provide a brief lecture on forming opinions about current issues in the news. Explain the assignment: read a current events news article, discuss the article and ask questions, diagram the question, then form an individual opinion. Show an example of the prewriting worksheet. By the end of the lesson, students will have gone through a prewriting process and written a single opinion statement.

Activities:

• Have students choose from one of three news articles. Within 10 minutes, each student is to individually read the news article.
• Distribute the prewriting worksheet. Each student will then form questions about the topic discussed in the article. Class discussion will be allowed during this time. Each student will choose five questions and write them on the prewriting worksheet.
• Each student will select one of the questions and create a tree diagram using that question. Tree diagrams in prewriting allow for organic thought. To create a tree diagram, the students should brainstorm keywords that branch from the question and then continue that branching. This allows the student to focus on the question that interests them most and provides a mechanism to expand on the question if the lesson plan is used as prerequisite to future lessons.
• Using the tree diagram outline, the student will be able to write a single sentence that represents an opinion about the topic of the article. The sentence should start with a phrase such as: “I think…”, “I believe…”, “In my opinion…”, “My point of view is that…”, or “It seems to me that…”.

Closure:

Summarize the assignment: students have selected and read a current events article, discussed and asked questions about the topic, brainstormed thoughts and formed a single opinion statement. To close the lesson, have students share their opinion statement with the class.

Assessment:

Each student should have a completed prewriting worksheet. Writing a single sentence will demonstrate that the students have understood and analyzed the article and will provide a goal for writing an essay in the future.

Assignment:

If the students have not completed the worksheet, have them finish the worksheet and write the opinion statement as the assignment. If they have finished the worksheet, have them edit and tighten the thesis statement.